


someone he does not recognize

by timuzu



Category: Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Gen, Hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2016-10-04
Packaged: 2018-08-19 14:48:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8212784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timuzu/pseuds/timuzu
Summary: The 280th Night, departure.





	

“This is farewell, Hakuryuu.” 

 

He couldn’t bear to look at his face, did not dare to tear his eyes off the sand. 

 

Knuckles clenched, fingernails digging into the flesh of his palm -  _ The hand and arm that Kouen gave -  _ until the pain drew blood. Still he couldn’t look up, letting the silence fade into the wind that swept around them. He knew Kouen was waiting, for a reply, a gesture; yet he couldn’t draw his gaze from the sand, couldn’t let his eyes fall on Kouen’s. He knew, that if he did, his eyes would betray him. 

 

He heard the sand shift, and soft crunch of footsteps away from him. With it the hard strike of wood on sand -  _ a cane _ \- and the muffled swirling of fabric as Kouen limped towards the small fishing boat. 

 

Hakuryuu finally allowed himself to look up. 

 

“Wait” 

 

Kouen stopped, but did not turn. Hakuryuu chewed his words, straightened his back, felt the adrenaline in his heart. He took a step forward. It was so easy, feeling his legs lift and land, the fatigue that once took him gone.  _ But it is not my leg, it is his.  _

 

“You should have never..” Hakuryuu felt a clip in his voice, he swallowed and tried again. It was so cold, and the wind tasted like salt;  _ it tastes worse than blood.  _

 

“You should have never healed me” He managed at last, and somehow, somehow it was worse to hear it outloud than to repeat it again and again inside the hollow part of his throat.  

 

He saw Kouen turn, saw the invisible smirk flash on his lips.

 

“I did what I had to do.” 

 

“Liar.” 

 

“You should have killed me, Hakuryuu.” 

 

“I…” Hakuryuu felt the blinding anger on the palettes of his tongue, the sudden waves of wrath and disbelief crashing in the pit of his stomach. 

 

“I spared your life!” He did not mean to shout, but he did. He heard the siren calls of his mother again, her sweetly venom seeping into his blood. He looked at the man before him and saw the silhouettes of his brothers standing beside Kouen, their face burnt and bloodied.  _ It should have been you!! It should have been you!!.  _ He saw Judar, he saw Alibaba, and he saw Ren Kouen.  _ Why did you surrender?!   _ Hakuryuu heard the beating of his own heart, loud and trembling.  _ Why didn’t you beg for your life?!  _ He felt Kouen’s stare cut into him, felt himself shrink and expand.  _ Why didn’t you say, that you hated me.  _

 

“Hakuryuu,” Kouen’s voice, like a phantom, wavered in the splitting wind. It was so cold, and Hakuryuu could taste blood now, blood and fire.  __

 

“I have always considered you as a brother.” 

 

Surprise must have registered plain on his face, and he could only try to draw breath into collapsed lungs, to settle the raging storm in his head.  _ You’re lying.  _ But Hakuryuu couldn’t bring the voice to his words, so he stood there and looked at Kouen. 

 

“Your hatred and your vengeance, I understood them. I loved Hakuyuu and Hakuren, they were like brothers to me, even though they were not kin. It is true that I could never experience your wrath, because I had Koumei and Kouha and Kougyoku. I trust my siblings, and never quarrelled with them. So that is why” Kouen paused, shifted his weight to his cane. He did not look at Hakuryuu. “That’s why I felt guilty towards you.” 

 

“I believed that you are far beyond saving, but I was wrong. You had strengths and conviction, I could see Ren and Yuu in you. You’ve done well.” 

 

“Giving you my arm and legs, that was the only way I could make up for the pain and grief I caused---” 

 

“Stop!!” He saw Kouen flinch, the smallest drawback of his shoulders, the minute uplift of eyebrows. “You don’t know anything about me!! I spared your life so I wouldn’t owe anything to you!”  _ I hated you, so how could you, how could you call me brother.  _

 

Kouen nodded. “I understand.” He turned and began his descent to his boat once more. 

 

Hakuryuu watched him limp to the water where the boat docked, watched Kouen step into the dingy, watched the soldier untie the knot of the anchor, watched them row away. 

 

Kouen didn’t look back, and the words that was stuck at the back of Hakuryuu throat dwelled, unspoken, locked in place. 

 

_ Farewell, brother.  _  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at 3am right after I finished the Kou Empire arc with the help of this playlist http://8tracks.com/oiyukis/there-s-no-hope. Man, what a good arc & ending. I really love the Ren family.
> 
> (originally written Nov 26, 2015)


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